Facing the Truth
by EowynGoldberry
Summary: This takes place after Doctor in the Photo but goes AU almost immediately.  This part of Biba79's Secret Santa exchange.


**Author's Note: I have not written fanfiction before, but I used to like to write and wanted to try again. This is for the Secret Santa put together by Biba79 and I am writing for Punky Misfit. I chose her prompts for a blizzard and Christmas. My writing is not as good as yours, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!**

**This takes place after Doctor in the Photo but goes AU from there. ****Since there were so many stories about the elevator scene from The Blackout in the Blizzard, I had them get stranded elsewhere because I am trying to be slightly different. And it is not a cabin in the woods because that has been done. This takes place after they solve a case because I am not quite ready to write a story with a case in it. Maybe if I don't get a new job and people like my writing, I will think about it because I love to read mysteries.**

**AN 2: Yes it can snow in Tennessee! And there are a lot of idiots on the road that you don't want to be on the road with in even a little snow here…**

**Thank you to Biba79 for betaing my story, and to jsq79 and Godisnotazombie for reading over it for me.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Bones, the sixth season would not have happened!**

**Facing the Truth**

Booth and Brennan were both frustrated. They had just finished a case in the mountains in eastern Tennessee when the blizzard hit. All flights out of the Knoxville airport had been cancelled, and they had to rush to find a hotel before the roads were closed. The way the snow was coming down made it clear they would have to stop there for at least one night.

They had just gotten to a hotel, and of course managed to stop at the one that only had one room left. The front desk clerk was polite but firm that there were no other rooms or suites available. The clerk cheerily pointed out that they could try driving to another hotel but the snow was coming down fast and furious.

"Ugh, at least we got past Gatlinburg, that town is not on my list of places I want to go to for Christmas!" Booth said as they entered the room.

"I know. I find it another reason why Christmas is nothing but just another excuse to feed this culture's insatiable materialism." Brennan sniffed.

"Well, that is easy for someone with money to say." Booth laughed. However, Brennan did not find his comment amusing and just stared out the window.

"Bones, I was joking."

"Okay, that's fine." Brennan said rolling her eyes. "You hardly ever think anything I say is funny anymore, how am I supposed to know the difference?" she snapped.

"Okay, what has gotten into you?" Booth asked.

"Nothing!" was all the response he got.

Booth was tired of trying to get Brennan to talk. He felt guilty about her confession after the Eames case, but she refused to discuss anything with him even though he had broken up with Hannah a few days later. Booth had come to realize that he was lying to himself as well as Bones Brennan when he told her Hannah was not a consolation prize. But now Brennan seemed to want nothing to do with him, leaving him very confused.

"Can we try to talk? I have missed our friendship since we have been back." Booth tried.

"I just want to sleep." Brennan muttered.

"Why do you keep brushing me off every time I try to talk, Bones?" Booth pleaded.

Maybe it was a result of a stressful and tiring case, maybe it was the prospect of another Christmas alone after a miserable tropical one the year before, maybe it was having to share a hotel room with a man she still felt attracted to, but something inside the normally reserved anthropologist snapped.:

"That is all you have been doing for the last few months, ever since we came back to D.C. so who are you to talk? You weren't interested in talking until after Hannah was gone, so why should I think you really want to talk?"

Booth was taken aback. "What do you mean I kept brushing you off?"

"You kept ignoring me and not paying attention to my feelings at all!" Brennan yelled. "I know you said you had to move on but it is one thing to move on, and another thing entirely to act like jerk about it!"

Booth sat too stunned by the outburst to respond immediately and thought back over the past few months. Brennan stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Booth decided that though her words stung, they did have some truth to them, and he would rather try to repair their relationship than get mad. He knocked on the door to the bathroom, but she refused to acknowledge him.

"Bones, I'm sorry." Booth called through the door. "I know you can probably hear me, so I'm going to talk anyway. I realize I was a jerk and I am truly sorry about that. I think at first I was mad that you did not write or email me while I was in a war zone. I know email was spotty, but you didn't even send one letter! If you weren't ready to talk about feelings, you could have at least just written something quick to say hi! But then I realized I did still care about you, and I wanted to try to ignore those feelings. I was trying to push you away and I am very very sorry about that now. I also lied when I said Hannah wasn't a consolation prize, please believe that!"

Booth waited for a response for what seemed like an eternity though it was only a short while later when Brennan finally opened the door. She looked liked she had been crying but Booth knew he had to resist the urge to pull her into his arms right away.

"I am sorry I didn't write while I was in MalakuluMaluku, Booth. I was thinking about you every day," Brennan confessed. "What do you mean you still had feelings for me?"

"Bones, I meant it and still mean when I said you are the standard." Booth responded. I didn't realize it at first, but now I see I was just using Hannah to get back at you, which was wrong and hurt both of you. But I was still hurt about you rejecting me outside the Hoover."

"Booth I didn't mean to reject you!" Brennan insisted. "I was just scared, and I am sorry I hurt you because I was scared. I realize now I implied I didn't trust you, which isn't true. I just need to know that you aren't pursuing me just because you broke up with Hannah. I don't want to be a consolation prize either."

"Bones, I promise I meant what I said just now!" Booth insisted. "Let me prove it to you, please?"

After a long, agonizing pause, Brennan nodded yes. Booth grinned his charm smile, and said "Bones, I love you, that part never changed, I was just trying to hide it. Your confession made me realize what I was doing and that I was lying to everybody. I want you and only you."

Brennan looked into his warm chocolate eyes and saw only truth and love. "You love me?" she whispered in shock.

"Yes!" Booth exclaimed, finally pulling her into his embrace. Brennan realized in that moment that she no longer felt alone, and felt saved and loved. They hugged awhile longer, then fell into bed in each other's arms. They agreed they wanted to take things slow but were relived to finally be on the same page. This Christmas promised to be much happier than the last one.


End file.
